Paul Di'Anno, Early Iron Maiden Frontman, Dies at 66 - The New York Times
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The English singer played with the band in its early years. He later worked with other bands and pursued a solo career.
Paul Di'Anno gained popularity on the heavy metal scene in the late 1970s after he joined Iron Maiden as the band's lead singer. He performed with the band from 1978 through 1981.Credit...Paul Natkin/Getty Images
Paul Di'Anno, an English singer who was an early frontman for the popular heavy metal band Iron Maiden in the 1970s and '80s, has died at his home in Salisbury, England. He was 66.
Conquest Music, a label that represented Mr. Di'Anno, announced his death in a statement on social media on Monday. No additional details were given.
Mr. Di'Anno, whose legal name was Paul Andrews, gained popularity on the heavy metal scene in the late 1970s after he joined Iron Maiden as the band's lead singer. He performed with the band from 1978 through 1981.
While Mr. Di'Anno was with Iron Maiden, the band released two albums — the eponymous "Iron Maiden" in 1980 and "Killers," which came out in February 1981.
After leaving Iron Maiden, Mr. Di'Anno performed with other bands such as Battlezone and Killers and also played solo. He released his first career retrospective album, "The Book of the Beast," in September.
Mr. Di'Anno said in a recent interview with Metal Hammer magazine that he didn't blame the band for replacing him with Bruce Dickinson, who would go on to lead Iron Maiden during its most successful years.
"In the end I couldn't give 100 percent to Maiden anymore and it wasn't fair to the band, the fans or to myself," he said.
In his autobiography, "The Beast," which was published in 2010, Mr. Di'Anno wrote that he also thought his band members had grown worried about his partying habits, a topic he wrote openly about.
"That was just the way I was," he wrote. "I'd let off a bit of steam, have a few drinks and generally act as if I was taking part in a 24-hour party, which I honestly felt I was."
Mr. Di'Anno suffered from health issues in the past few years, but he continued to perform shows in a wheelchair. He played more than 100 shows since 2023, according to his label.
Paul Andrews was born in Chingford, East London, on May 17, 1958. In "The Beast," he wrote that he had an interest in music since he was young. He remembered skipping school once to see the band AC/DC, which he described as "just on the verge of becoming really big then."
A list of survivors was not immediately available.
The first time he saw Iron Maiden play was at a venue in East London. The band's performance, he wrote in his book, was unremarkable.
"It was a very early incarnation of the band, but Christ almighty, they bloody stank to high heaven," he wrote.
Mr. Di'Anno later met the band, and soon they began writing songs together and rehearsing. After that, as he wrote in his book, he "really began to think the band had the potential to be something a bit special."
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